Hi! So a few hours ago, I received a review from Allamaraine, telling me I'm not writing properly, simply because I refuse to plan this entired story before I write it. My reply to this, as I cannot reply privately, is: Wow. Rude. It is none of your business or any reader's business to tell me or any author how to write a story. I will not go and read some books about writing, nor will I change my ways because you have decided I am "too lazy and disrespectful of my readers" and if I don't change, you'll "do my work for me as you read". Thank the rest of you for your reviews, I appreciate them greatly.

In other news, I'm really quite excited about this chapter as I have chosen to use it mostly to convey some of my ideas on the history of the Goblin City. I hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth. Nor will I ever. Sadly.

Chapter Five, The Underground: An History

Sarah awoke the next morning to a beautiful day. For the Undeground at least. The yellow, clouded sky was bright, with raven-like creatures, but with a single crimson feathe on each wing, singing their terrible song and soaring through the wind.

Sarah, wary of her surroundings, checked under the bed before setting her feet on the ground. Even then, she jumped quickly away, almost laughing at her childishness. Opening the wardrobe, she picked out some tan breeches and a white ruffled blouse with sleeves that stopped at her shoulders. Pulling on some knee high black leather boots, she left her bedroom to maybe find her own way to the thrown room, to figure everything out from there. Her plan however, was thwarted by her lack of navigating skills. Sighing, she knew what she had to do. With a groan, she wished for the Goblin King's help.

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It was 10am, and Jareth stood in his thrown room, pacing. How was he to tell Sarah of his father's sudden interest on visiting his in his castle, after not having seen in in almost 2,000 years? He'd have to tell her quickly, because the High King Was due to be arriving in less that 2 hours.

Sarah's wish suddenly began echoing inside the King's head, summoning him from his deep thought. Within a millisecond, he appeared behind Sarah. She had managed to get herself half way to the kitchens, in the complete opposite direction of her destination, which he assumed had been the throne room. When he cleared his throat, she jumped with a yelp and whirled around, her face red. He smirked at his effect on her.

"You scared me half to death, Goblin King!" She was still not comfortable with calling him Jareth, which he should've understood, as he had taken away her half brother and made her run a Labyrinth that could have killed her not a year before. He, however, though different.

"Really, Sarah, I am not your king. I will be anything but it. Call me Jareth." Whilst he said this, however, he knew it was a lie. He wanted to be her king. He wanted to rule her. In more ways than one.

"Can you please just show me the way to the throne room?" She spat irritably, crossing her arms over her chest and resisting the urge to pout. She really hadn't grown up at all. She was still a child.

"Of course," as he walked ahead over her, there was an obvious royal air in his stride. She admired his grace greatly, before quickly walking after him. He suddenly turned back to her, almost causing her to bump straight into him.

"Oh, and Sarah? You'll be meeting my father in about an hour, so be sure to be on your best behaviour."

She was frozen to the spot. She hadn't ever thought Jareth had parents. She knew nothing of predessessors of the Goblin Kingdom, nothing of the King's family, and had just now remembered, that in the act of wishing herself into the Underground, she had probably given the Goblin King the impression that she intended on becoming his wife, and his Queen. Today was going to be a long day indeed.

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Due to the sudden appearance of his father, Jareth decided he needed to educated Sarah on the customs, traditions and history of the Underground. And trust me, that was a wide subject to cover in the hour they had before the High King's arrival.

"All you really need to know is how everything is run. My father is the King of everything in the Underground. Mine is not the only kingdom, just as goblins are not the only mythical creature of your world to be real in mine. I have 5 brothers who rule the other kingdoms in the Underground, and my father rules us."

"What are the other kingdoms in the Underground?"

"That's a tale for another time. For now I'll just give you a bit of history for the Goblin kingdom." Sarah would never admit it, but she was quite interested in what the Goblin King had to say.

"When I turned 18, in human years, I replaced my father as King of the Goblins. He hated Goblins. Absolutely despised them. So naturally, as soon as he saw the chance, he abdicated from the throne and left me in charge, and became next in line for High King. When I came into power in this kingdom, I changed many things, and restored the Labyrinth which had been neglected for many millenia before."

Sarah was simply fascinated now. However fear and doubt started to trickle into her stomach when she realised that in almost half an our she'd be meeting the High King of the Underground. Knowing and living with the Goblin King was enough to feel like everything were surreal, let alone meeting someone even higher up the social ladder!

"In the year of my father's success in becoming the High King, there was a rebellion of the Goblins. He, my father, had been so very cruel to them in his years of ruling the Goblin City, and therefore were outraged at the prospect of him becoming the ruler of all of the Underground. They very almost went and attacked the Palace in which the High King lived, but I managed to subdue them. Though I too was not a great fan of my father's, I knew it would hold no resolve in killing him, but only more warfare and the search for another High King, which would not be found without an heir for one of the smaller kingdoms. That was a few thousand years ago now. But for centuries, my father ruled the Underground ruthlessly, killing anything and anyone who disobeyed or annoyed him. Then, my mother fell ill. Suddenly, everything became calm. My father left it up to my brothers and I to band together and keep holding the Underground together, whilst also trying to rule solely our own kingdoms. My mother died a few hundred years ago, and my father was never quite the same, though still fairly cruel and unforgiving."

Jareth went silent for a while, vacant, as if his train of thought had left him for a second. However he was back to himself before Sarah knew it.

"Before I was born, my father and his brothers ruled the smaller kingdoms, while their father ruled the Underground. To choose the heir of the High King, a Labyrinth was created millions and millions of years ago, in which all the High King's sons would fight to get to the centre first. My father used trickery and deceit to win the Labyrinth, and so won the title of heir. Becoming the High King of the Underground seems to have been the worst possible thing to have happened to my already cruel bastard of a father. It just made him worse."

Sarah tried not to giggle at Jareth's obvious animosity against his father. He was like a teenage boy who didn't like his dad and so resorted to bad-mouthing him behind his back.

"When the time comes, and my father feels his time is at an end, he will bring all of my brothers and I together, to participate in the Labyrinth, to choose the next heir. The Labyrinth that they use is the one just outside of that window."

Sarah stared in awe as she got up and walked to the window. She had run the same Labyrinth as Kings? Everything felt so very surreal, as if she lived in a fairytale. She lived in a castle with a King that desperately wanted to make her his Queen! There were fantasy creatures, and heartbreak and deceit. Everything Sarah had wished to have in her life. Everything full of surprises.

"Well that's enough for now, my father will be here any minute, and you need to change, as do I. He cannot see you dressed like a peasant, nor I. I've had a maid sent up to your chamber. She will be awaiting your return to help ready you for my father's arrival." With that, the King made his way to the door, but Sarah's voice stopped him.

"Do you wish to be High King when your father has had enough?"

Jareth seemed to think for a moment, but only strictly a moment.

"Although the prospect does ring nicely in my mind, I do not wish to rule all of the Undeground. I fear it will do to me as it did my father, and I am quite content in keeping the Goblin City strictly under my control."

Once he had paused for a minute to make sure Sarah's question was answered, he smirked.

"I suppose you'll need some guidance in finding your way back to your room?" Sarah's face went red at his assumption, and she huffed in annoyance. However she knew she had no chance of finding her way back without his assistance.

"Follow me, my precious."

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When Jareth had said his father would be there any minute, he hadn't lied. Just as the Goblin King had disappeared down the hallway after showing Sarah back to her room, a trumpet like instrument sounded to every hall and corridor in the castle, announcing the arrival of the King's father.

Now, with no time left, Jareth simply had to magic something onto himself that was more suitable for the High King's presence, and then faded himself into the throne room, where he sat lazily in his glorified chair, awaiting his father's entrance.

Before His Grace had arrived to greet his father in the throne room, the maid that had been attending to Sarah had magicked her into the throne room, standing next to the goblin King on his left side. He gave a small smirk at how uncomfortable she looked in her new attire, a tight-fitting midnight blue dress that flared softly at her hips. A momentary discussion ran through his head on whether or not to look her up and down and make her uncomfortable even more so, or ignore the allure the dress had given her and annoy her, as no doubt she expected a comment on it in some form. Before he could act on his decision of increasing her discomfort however, the High King made his grand entrance into the throne room, kicking an unconscious goblin out of his way as he strode in. This angered Jareth slightly, but he chose to ignore it this time.

"Father," he greeted, standing up and bowing to the King, indicating for Sarah to do the same. She did a low curtsey. The High King bowed to Jareth in return and held Sarah's hand, kissing it gently, staring her straight in the eye with his piercing blue irises. She felt dizzy and heavy headed for a second, as if someone were rifling through her thoughts, trying to destinguish who she was. Jareth cleared his throat as if he could sense his father's use of magic on the young girl.

"And what brings you here, father?" Jareth obviously wanted to get straight to the point, to get the High King out of his castle, the hostility in the room almost suffocating.

"Is there anything wrong with wanted to check up on your beloved son, and your precious kingdom?" The Goblin King's expression remained cold and unmoving. The High King continued. "I simply heard news of you, Jareth, bringing a mortal back to the Underground, one who, coincidentally, had only just beat the Labyrinth and won her leave fairly. Do you care to explain your actions, your Majesty." Jareth scowled. Surely this was not his only intention for his visit, otherwise he could have just asked in his letter, instead of announcing his journey to the Goblin City.

"Sarah wished herself back here." The Goblin King's voice was cold as ice, and Sarah had to suppress the urge to shudder. The High King looked over to Sarah, looking her up and down and she saw a slight sneer of disgust cross his face before it was back to neutral.

"Really, Jareth, I would have expected better from you. Princess Mariola was always quite interested in you, and she's not bad to look at, and quite powerful too."

"Princess Mariola is a prissy little brat who's daddy does everything for her. I've seen her attempt magic, it was less that spectacular." Jareth huffed again, the immature teenaged boy part of him showing itself.

"Whatever you may say, however, I must tell you, this mortal cannot stay in the Underground." Jareth's face turned to a mixture of anger and confusion at his father's words.

"What do you mean, Sarah cannot stay here? I have her permission, she wished herself here."

"Whether or not she wants to be here bids no concern from me. It is that I do not want her here." The High King said this with a straight face, unblinking. The Goblin King looked truly taken aback at this, looking from Sarah to the High King and back again. "And if this scum is not removed from my kingdom immediately, I will be forced to exterminate it," and at this, the High King turned to Sarah with a predatory smile on his face. Jareth growled.

"Get out of my throne room," His voice was low and deadly as he stared his father straight in the eye.

"You will not order me around, Jareth, I am your father and the High King! Learn to respect me or I will have to exterminate more than your mortal friend! I will, however, leave you now. But be warned. You must get rid of her, or I will."

Jareth slumped back into his throne, his head in his hand. He was breathing heavily, his anger still evident in his posture. Sarah decided it would not be in her best interests to talk, and so remained silent next to the fuming king.

"What am I to do," He muttered into his palms before looking up at her. "My dear Sarah, such destruction you seem to leave in your path. It is not only once my world shall be turned upside down for you. You are dismissed."

She turned quickly, walking briskly out of the throne room, trying to keep her sobs silent. After fighting so hard against it, and then giving in, was she really about to lose her fairytale dream, again?

I personally really enjoyed writing this chapter! THere's a lot more to the history of the Goblin City that I'll have to cover later, as well as the entire Underground itself. But until then, there's your basics on traditions of the Underground Monarchy system and the High King's troubling personality. Hope you like this addition! Please review, and continue being tuned in for the next chapter!

-Sianie